Anisimov’s Precarious Rangers Future

When the same thing happens season after season you begin to wonder whether a player truly is developing or whether he has already hit his ceiling. Artem Anisimov, every year with the Rangers, has had spells where he looks like a great piece for the future and then periods when he disappears.

Anisimov is pointless in twelve (yes, twelve) games prior to Thursday’s Penguins game. That’s almost impossible given his line mates for the majority of those games and even lately with a reduced role Anisimov is still averaging over 15 minutes/game on the season. That’s plenty of opportunity to make an offensive contribution, one that his team needs.

The Russian is still on pace to hit 40 points for the season but that’s just it. Is the talented forward topping out as a 40 point player or do people still see his skill set, his size and age and think (hope?) he can make it to a 60 point player? It’s looking less likely with every additional barren streak.

What’s more, Anisimov is moving himself into dangerous territory. Derek Stepan has made himself almost untouchable as he develops nicely this year. With Gaborik, Richards and Callahan going nowhere anytime soon and Brandon Dubinsky (prior to injury) showing signs of getting back to his normal, top six self, should the Rangers look to make a significant addition this season Anisimov may be the forward that gets dangled off the roster.

With the Russian’s poor play and the other aforementioned players security on the roster, Anisimov’s potential may play against him. Despite his up and down season his potential is still appealing to other teams as trade bait. A relatively small contract, youth on his side and a solid (but unspectacular) CV, Anisimov would be a solid starting point for many trades negotiations around the league.

As the Rangers continue to move towards the playoffs, Anisimov may either be auditioning to secure his Rangers future or become a trade piece. We discussed it at the start of the season that Anisimov may be in a play-off with Derek Stepan for a long term future in the top six with the Rangers. Right now, he’s losing hands down.  It promises to be an important few weeks before the deadline, for the Russian.

Halfway There Report Card: The Top Six Forwards

When you’re a team sitting at the top of the NHL standings there’s usually not much to moan about. The Rangers have been blessed with production and top quality performances from all over the roster including the top six. A team cannot win consistently if it doesn’t get production from its key guys and the Rangers have been getting it. To the grades…

Marian Gaborik. In December we discussed the possibility of whether Gaborik was the league’s best right wing this season. That kind of says it all about the year he’s having. On pace to establish a new career high in goals, Gaborik is flirting with the magical 50 mark. Despite occasional stretches without production he’s been remarkably consistent and blew past his subpar 10/11 season goal total with less than half the season gone. Gaborik is the Rangers best offensive talent and he’s showing it. Fully healthy, he looks explosive; the sky’s the limit this season. A+

Ryan Callahan. The most underrated captain in the league? The best player in the league no one ever talks about? The Rangers captain does it all. He’s 4^th in the league in hits, was on course for a 30 goal season and gives 100% every single shift. Seven power play goals, three game winners and a short-hander suggest Callahan produces in every scenario. If there was any kind of criticism of Callahan it may be that he’s taken a few too many penalties this season but that would be nitpicking in a brilliant season for the best Rangers captain in several seasons. A+

Brandon Dubinsky. This is a tough grade because it depends what your expectations are for the talented Alaskan. Dubinsky has had a pretty rough first half even though he’s clearly improved recently. The bottom line however is that for a player making around $4m annually, counted on to be an offensive contributor, a physical leader on a blue collar team then 5 goals and 21 points do not cut it. Nor does the 6% shooting percentage or the meagre 76 shots. Luckily for Dubinsky, the team has great depth and have coped without consistent production from him. Slowly turning his year around, it’s almost like a new addition making the Rangers potentially even more dangerous. C-

Derek Stepan. Please remember this kid is 21. He’s centering the top line on the NHL’s best team (points wise), is likely to comfortably surpass his rookie totals and doesn’t look out of place at all. Stepan was an eagerly anticipated prospect but I’m not sure many people thought he would be this good, this quickly. He still has some developing to do, like his shot selection, but when his contract expires he’ll likely be a lot better financially next time he signs on the dotted line. Stepan is scoring important goals (but not enough), playing a pivotal role in Gaborik’s bounce back year and is growing up right before our eyes. Rarely do you see Stepan make a bad decision and his passing ability is incredible, as we saw once again throughout the Coyotes win last night. A huge future lies ahead. B+

Artem Anisimov. The Russian is another player showing solid progression this year. Unfortunately he has cooled off lately; pointless in eight games. Anisimov has a tendency to be streaky, and he needs to score more goals but a lot of the work Anisimov has done this season has not shown up on the score board. He’s a nice fit on the top line with Gaborik and Stepan and has handled his move to the wing nicely. His play along the boards has improved immeasurably and don’t forget Anisimov is also still young at 23 and figures to have room to develop offensively. If his production ever catches up to his talent then he could be a monster. B-

Brad Richards. Like Dubinsky, critiquing Richards’ season so far depends on what your expectations were. If you judge Richards with the massive contract in mind or place much emphasis on the relatively small stretch where he wasn’t contributing offensively then it may not look that impressive. If you measure the impact his presence has had on the rest of the roster (depth), the clutch goal scoring or the way he has influenced players like Del Zotto then Richards has been a great addition and has had a fine beginning to his Rangers tenure. That said, one of the key reasons for his signing was to help fix the powerplay and he hasn’t managed to help turn it into a more effective unit.

Despite being on course for his first 30 goal season he’s also on course for his lowest points total since 08/09. Of course that total would have led the Rangers over the last few years but it’s a different measuring stick for an elite player. Richards’ faceoff results have been quite inconsistent this year too, much like his production. Richards has improved defensively as the year has developed which no doubt helps his game when not scoring. The best part of Richards’ year is that there should be more to come. Lined up with Callahan and Dubinsky, the Rangers now have two quality scoring lines. When was the last time they could say that? If Dubinsky really has turned his year around, expect more from Richards as a result too. B-

In case you missed it. We also wrote report cards for our bottom six forwards, defense, & goalies.

Is Gaborik League’s Best?

Marian Gaborik is on course for 50 goals this season. How impressive is it? Well in the entire history of the Rangers organisation you can count on one hand the amount of players that have reached that milestone as a Blueshirt. If he gets there it will be a hell of a feat.

Pointing out that potential milestone is just one way of acknowledging the tremendous year the Slovakian winger is having. Gaborik’s goal scoring exploits and overall form this season this may also a question as to his status among the game’s best. Is the Rangers winger the best right wing in the game this season?

Gaborik is doing so many things right this season. First of all he’s playing a better defensive game and showing a much better (and more consistent) effort to get the puck back. In the offensive zone he’s putting the puck on net as much as possible while he’s very effective on the power play (on course for 13 powerplay goals, which would be his second best return).

Above all, Gaborik is going to the high traffic areas to score a lot of his goals. How many have you seen come from rebounds and right in front of the net? A lot. He’s effective too as his 17% success rate suggests. In short, there isn’t anything Gaborik is doing wrong right now and he deserves to be acknowledged among the best.

When people think of the best right wings in the game people usually think Patrick Kane, Marian Hossa, Martin St Louis, Jerome Iginla and Corey Perry. Gaborik stands eye to eye with all of them. Perry sports an ugly -11 and isn’t leading the Ducks to any kind of success this season. St Louis is having a solid but unspectacular season in Tampa, while Iginla isn’t the same force he was in recent seasons. Only Kane and Hossa of the aforementioned few are having excellent years offensively. Which brings us to another point in the argument for Gaborik as the league’s best right winger.

Gaborik is doing everything so successfully this season with two kids as line mates. While Derek Stepan is absolutely on his way to forging a fine career and Artem Anisimov is improving every season, Gaborik doesn’t have the benefit of a Jonathan Toews, Steven Stamkos or Ryan Getzlaf as an elite center as Brad Richards is doing just nicely on the second line. Gaborik doesn’t have a Bobby Ryan or Patrick Sharp on his opposite wing. Yes, Gaborik is part of a line blessed with chemistry and has two very talented youngsters to assist him but he certainly hasn’t the same calibre of line mates (yet) to feed off.

As Gaborik potentially works towards career highs in total shots, power play goals, game winning goals and most importantly total goals the Slovakian star deserves to be – at the very least – in the discussion as the league’s best right winger. He deserves an all star nod and hopefully when he pots number 50 later this season he’ll be deserving of a huge ovation from the Garden faithful.

Guest Post: Derek Stepan Appreciation

This weekend’s guest post comes courtesy of Jordan Ozer (poster: JordanO), who put together a nice Derek Stepan appreciation post. Thanks for the contribution Jordan, great job.  As a reminder, if you want to have your own guest post, feel free to email us and let us know. We run these on Sunday’s.

Derek Stepan Appreciation Post

- Jordan Ozer

I am prejudiced to like Derek Stepan. As a student at the University of Wisconsin, I watched from the student section as he put together two very successful seasons at the collegiate level. In 2009-10 he recorded 54 points, which led the NCAA runners-up squad that included eventual NHL’ers in Craig Smith, Blake Geoffrion, Jake Gardiner, and Brendan Smith. Even in college he was more of a distributer than a scorer, tallying 66 assists against 21 goals in 81 collegiate games. After two strong seasons in Wisconsin, he jumped to the pros and made the Rangers out of training camp.

So while my expectations were high going into last season, even the biggest of Stepan optimists could not have predicted that he would burst onto the scene the way he did, beating Ryan Miller three times en route to becoming the fourth player in NHL history to score a hat trick in their debut. Stepan displayed a remarkable maturity that enabled him to successfully make the jump from the NCAA level to the NHL and becoming a budding start in New York City at just 20 years old. One of just four Rangers to play in all 82 games, he finished fourth on the Rangers in goals (21) and points (45).

The remarkable strides in Stepan’s game have come this season. Rather than fall prone to a sophomore slump, Derek has in fact elevated his game, recording 20 points (7 goals and 13 assists) in his first 29 games. Stepan’s play has been improving in all phases this season. He has established a spot on the point for the power play, helping a unit that has moved the puck well and created good chances as of late. He has also contributed on the penalty kill, recently evidenced by his play in the 6-1 win over Buffalo where he took the puck on an end-to-end rush to kill the penalty and finished with a highlight reel goal.

Where last season his ability to be a twenty-goal scorer in the NHL was noteworthy, this season his passing and vision have stood out. His skills as a passer and playmaker have helped him earn a spot on the first line, developing instant chemistry with Artem Anisimov and Marion Gaborik. Stepan’s talents have meshed especially well with Gaborik. The Slovakian winger has been streaky at times with the Rangers, but Stepan has helped him light the lamp with consistency this season. If Stepan continues to play this well, he is likely to be a fixture on the first line for the remainder of the season.

The Rangers have been off to a fast start in 2011, racking up wins with a youthful core. It’s clear that a big part of the future is the 21-year old kid from Hastings, Minnesota: Derek Stepan.

Tangible Progress – Part One

I feel pretty qualified (even from afar) to be able to pass judgement on how the Rangers have progressed over the first, now almost third, of the season.  Why? Simple really. We all watch the games but I was there for games one and two in Sweden and I was there for arguably there two stiffest challenges to date against the Flyers and Penguins. In between there has been a lot of development if you ask me. So, without further delay let’s talk Rangers, but in stages. Today, we’ll discuss the kids on this team and how they have done.

What concerned me most prior to – and following – the two losses in Sweden was the depth in the defensive department and whether the lines – and personnel – could mesh in time after a completely disjointed preseason. Its one thing to beat middling European clubs (no disrespect) but it’s quite another to be ready for NHL play with a makeshift preparation.

I also had concerns about some of the young talent (legitimate talent) and whether they were ready or able to grab responsibility. Could this team get more scoring? Could this team compete with the more skilled teams in the league? Could this team progress to the next level?

To all the above concerns, they are concerns no more. I think we can all say with both hysteria and realism, that the Rangers have gone to a next level in their development, regardless of last night’s pretty ugly loss. The best part of it all is the results have been obvious on the eye. They have, as the title of this post suggests being tangible. So, what about the kids?

Read more »

Stepan Not At Practice: No Need To Be Concerned

When Derek Stepan blocked that shot last night, and needed help getting off the ice, Ranger-nation held their collective breath. Luckily, Stepan didn’t miss a beat, and was out for his next shift. Clearly there was no damage done to the ankle, or else he would not have come back into the game.

However, that doesn’t mean that the Rangers won’t rest their prized young center when something like this happens; and that is exactly what they did. Stepan was not on ice at practice, as he was resting his ankle. It is likely that Stepan has a contusion or a bruise on his ankle, and nothing more. I would be shocked if he misses a game.

So again, back away from the cliff (specifically you prukachu). It’s hockey, stuff like this happens.

What The Rangers Really Have In Derek Stepan

Apparently Derek Stepan is part of the Rangers young core. Well, the sun goes down at night if you didn’t already know. Most people that took notice of the 2^nd year Rangers’ rookie year will know what kind of a player the Rangers might have on their hands. Anyone that followed his career prior to landing in New York knows that Stepan can handle big games too. The World Junior Championships being exhibit A.

At this stage of his career however, there may be a better question to consider. Instead of whether Stepan is part of the Ranger core (he is – duh); what is his upside both statistically and in terms of roster spot? Has it changed since he burst on to the scene with a hat trick last season?

What is perhaps most impressive with Stepan is a key ingredient required for sustained success in the New York sports world: temperament. Stepan had a poor start to this season – at least offensively speaking. How often did you see him vent his frustration or how often did you see him smash a stick against the boards? Never. Stepan is a grounded individual with vision and a huge dose of skill. I’ll bet you that his approach to the game played a big part in the recent turnaround in his play (and production).

His pass for Marian Gaborik’s first goal against the Jets was a great display of accuracy, patience (allowing the play to develop) and awareness. He knew very well that he had one of the best shooters in the game in perfect position to his right. Derek Stepan makes good decisions. At this stage Rangers fans will be enthused by the depth at center if Stepan and Anisimov continue to grow their game. For the record: given the prospects en route to the big club (Kreider, Thomas, Hagelin, Miller) do not think Anisimov’s future lies on the wing unless he blows the roof off of the renovated MSG offensively.

Derek Stepan could round out as a very nice, high end second line center; a compliment to Brad Richards. For those fans that think that’s not a good place to be or even an insult check out some of the other teams in the league who have had recent success. Having a good one-two punch down the middle is a great recipe for success. Look at the Penguins, the Wings, the Sharks, Canucks – they all have impressive center depth.

Back to the question at hand; what is Stepan’s potential upside? Rangers’ fans should (would?) gladly accept a 50-60 point playmaker with an impressive hockey IQ and defensive conscience any day of the week. That Stepan’s offensive production may be capped because of Richards being ahead of him in the depth chart should be immaterial. Having a great 1-2 punch is what matters most and the way Stepan is going recently, the Rangers appear to be on their way to having a lethal combo on their hands.

Artie or Stepan…. Or Both?

This post is pretty inflammatory as I’m fully aware there is currently room for both players on the roster but depending on how the season goes for both young players (and for some prospects as well) there may be an interesting decision looming for the Rangers in the relatively near future.

Artem Anisimov has developed steadily, if perhaps a little slowly. However, if his pre-season is anything to go by he seems primed for a really impressive season. He is of course in possession of a new contract; confidence from your employers does wonders for your own confidence, in any walk of life. Then there is Derek Stepan, who was at times a revelation as a rookie and seems more mature than his age should allow. Stepan too has had a solid pre-season but his place on the roster (not security, but rather location) seems more in-flux than Anisimov’s.

There is a danger that one of these players could severely out play the other this season, although competition is a good thing. It’s healthy. However, when you consider the spots up for grabs beyond this season maybe the two players are auditioning – to an extent. Captain Ryan Callahan is here to stay, the team have committed long term to Brad Richards, Brandon Dubinsky and (barring a disastrous year) Marian Gaborik. There aren’t many top six spots to give out after this year especially with the Dubinsky – Anisimov – Callahan line looking like a keeper, although with John Tortorella that’s never a certainty.

Now, throw into the mix the much anticipated arrival next year of the likes of Chris Kreider, Christian Thomas, maybe a Ryan Bourque or Carl Hagelin and given his impressive first camp, JT Miller. Just to name a few. Is it therefore possible that one of Stepan (who really needs to improve his face off skills) or Anisimov (who still needs to add muscle) could become moveable? Could they be rendered unnecessary?

Naturally this is hypothetical at this stage and as discussed, depth and competition for places is a nice problem to have. It’s also the product of good drafting. However it is worth considering that two very, very popular young, home-grown Rangers are playing for their futures, against each other – alongside each other this season. Room for both long-term? Maybe.  It’s just another little sub-plot to consider during the season.

So Where Does Stepan Start the Season?

Amid all the publicity Brad Richards has received and the analysis he has caused on the internet, the Rangers possess quite a collection of quality young centres behind him. That’s no secret. However, even with multiple (quality) years of Richards to look forward to, it is obviously in the Rangers’ long term interest to develop Derek Stepan and Artem Anisimov as much as possible.

It seems natural to expect the Rangers to begin the year keeping the effective, home grown trio of Dubinsky – Anisimov – Callahan together to form an exciting second line; even though Dubinsky at this stage is very much a candidate for the top line left wing spot. That being said, if the trio does stay together it means Derek Stepan either slots on to the left (where some see his future anyway) or if his face off skills develop, Stepan becomes the third line centre. This is where some concern should lie. Is a talent like Stepan being wasted with third line duty? If he received the bulk of his playing time there, he may be the prime candidate for Dave’s previous discussion of potential sophomore slumps.

I don’t think it is ideal to have such a young player, an intelligent player, being bumped down on to the third line. Stepan is ready for a bigger role, in my opinion, and the fact that the Rangers have such quality down the middle is obviously a good problem to have. That said I’d rather see Stepan play out of his natural position and try and play left wing on the top line. Forget your Wolski’s and the like. Has Wolski got a long term future with the Rangers? Barring a spectacular season, no he hasn’t. The pending arrivals of Kreider, Thomas and the like will see to that. However Stepan very much has a future with the organisation.

It’s in the Rangers interest to give Step a key role and let him develop in it. Seriously, how much harm can the young (mature) centre cause alongside Richards and Gaborik anyway? Couldn’t Gaborik in particular, benefit from having not one but two impressive playmakers on his line? Of course he could. Stepan’s role at this stage of the preseason is in flux. There are a lot of potential landing spots for him but in terms of long term development (as an asset as much as, as an individual) Stepan should be a priority this coming season.

PS: I hope everyone was safe over in the US this past weekend. My thoughts were with you all. We don’t get things like Irene in dull, old UK. 

Potential Sophomore Slumps

Last year, the Rangers had several rookies playing key roles in the organization.  Derek Stepan was fifth on the team in goals (21) and fourth in points (45), while Ryan McDonagh and Mike Sauer were counted on as a second pairing, eating up big minutes against tough opponents.  These three, especially Sauer and McDonagh, are going to be expected to improve  –or at least be on par with last year.  Sophomore slumps could really hurt the Rangers.

Don’t think a sophomore slump is possible?  Look at Michael Del Zotto.  He was impressive offensively in his rookie year (defensively he needed help), but his numbers fell off a cliff in his second season.  Regression for Stepan, Sauer, and McDonagh is a definite possibility, and something that could potentially cripple the Rangers this year.

Stepan’s offense falling off a cliff is unlikely, but it is also equally unlikely to affect the Rangers drastically with the addition of Brad Richards.  In fact, you can argue that a sophomore slump from Stepan is almost impossible because Richards and Marian Gaborik will be the focal points for opposing teams.  This allows Stepan to float under the radar a bit as a third line center.

As for Sauer and McDonagh, their ability to shut down offenses and eat big minutes is no longer a secret, and you can be sure that coaching staffs are reviewing video to see if there’s a weakness.  The fear is that as teams adjust, that Sauer and McDonagh might try to do too much, like the way Del Zotto tried to do too much last year.

The saving grave for this pairing is that they are generally defensive defensemen, although McDonagh certainly has the ability to add offense to his game.  If they just focus on making the small adjustments, and not worry about adding an element to their games that they don’t have, then they should be fine.  I don’t expect a Del Zotto-esque collapse, but it is possible that they regress a little bit.